Beyond DiMaggio

"Baldassaro brings a great deal of affection and merriment to his storytelling-whether he is replaying Cookie Lavagetto's and Al Gionfriddo's exploits in the 1947 World Series or exploring the sporting and cultural significance of Joe DiMaggio."-Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly "Baldassaro's sweep ranges from Ed Abbaticchio, one of the first Italian Americans in the game, and Ping Bodie, who, born Francesco Stephano Pezzolo, was the first Italian American who came close to baseball stardom, to general managers, team owners, commissioner Angelo Bartlett Giamatti and, most movingly, the rise and fall of Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro."-Robert Cottrell, Library Journal -- Robert Cottrell Library Journal "With interviews conducted by the author over the past decade and references to first-person accounts of the play and personalities of the older subjects, Baldassaro unearths colorful details such as the origin of Oscar 'Spinach' Melillo's nickname and Sal Maglie's run-ins with his Mexican League pitching coach, former Big Leaguer Dolf Luque, which even included some gunplay."-Jerry Milani, Baseball Digest -- Jerry Milani Baseball Digest "The love of both his heritage and the great game of baseball pours from his heart as Baldassaro writes about the progress of Italian Americans through the 20th century until today."-Buddy Fortunato, Italian Tribune -- Buddy Fortunato Italian Tribune "There are countless stories of Italian-Americans in baseball in this book, but they all share not only a common heritage but also the experience of participating in what the author justifiably calls 'the quintessential American game.'"-Mike Bauman, MLB.com -- Mike Bauman MLB.com

Lawrence Baldassaro is a professor emeritus of Italian at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. He is the editor of Ted Williams: Reflections on a Splendid Life and The American Game: Baseball and Ethnicity. Dom DiMaggio, youngest brother of Joe and Vince DiMaggio, made his Major League debut on April 16, 1940, for the Boston Red Sox. He died in 2009 at the age of ninety-two.

Foreword by Dom DiMaggio Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: At Home in America Part 1: The Pioneers 1. Ed Abbaticchio: Forgotten Pioneer 2. The Boys from San Francisco 3. Where Are the Italians? 4. The Tony Lazzeri Era Part 2: Arrival 5. The Turning Point: 1930-1935 6. Viva Italia! 1936-1939 7. The First MVPs: Lombardi, Camilli, and Cavarretta 8. To War and Back Part 3: Postwar Boom 9. Postwar New York: The Golden Age 10. The DiMaggio Brothers: Realizing the American Dream 11. Italian Yankees: Paesans in Pinstripes 12. Interborough Warfare: Dodgers versus Giants Part 4: Transitional Italians 13. The Last "Italians" 14. The 1970s and Beyond 15. From Labor to Management 16. Executive Suite Notes Bibliography Source Acknowledgments Index